


A Silent Comfort

by Hock_hug



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Chara just wants to take care of him, Charlie is going through it, Gen, Kneeling, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 10:21:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21967756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hock_hug/pseuds/Hock_hug
Summary: Charlie needs to kneel
Relationships: Zdeno Chara/Charlie McAvoy
Comments: 7
Kudos: 44
Collections: Hockey Holidays 2019





	A Silent Comfort

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Maeve_of_Winter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maeve_of_Winter/gifts).



> A treat for you!!! You mentioned liking the idea of Charlie being taken care of, and I think Zee would be perfect for the job, so here you go!

Charlie needed to kneel.

He felt it in his bones, and it scared him just a little bit. He knew that he hadn’t quite grown out of the need, but some people never did and he told himself not to worry about it. Of course, he still worried, and it only made things worse, but he had a handle on it. At least, he thought he did. When Zee asked him to come home with him he knew what it meant and his cheeks burned with shame. He could be better than this, he should’ve hid it better than he did, but he didn’t do good enough and now Zee probably thought he was weak and unable to take care of himself. As they walked to Zee’s car together, Charlie kept his head down and didn’t say a word. He carefully climbed into the passenger seat and buckled himself in before letting his head rest on the window. Zee didn’t say anything as he started the car and began to drive, and the silence got under Charlie’s skin in the worst way. He didn’t mean to start crying, but when he did, he found that he couldn’t stop. Zee placed a hand on his thigh and drove a bit faster, but remained silent. 

By the time they got to Zee’s house, Charlie had pulled himself together, but the shame of breaking down so obviously in front of his captain left a cold feeling in his chest, and he just wanted to go home. He slid out of the car and wiped his face before trailing Zee inside. Zee finally turned to him once he closed the door, and Charlie couldn’t meet his eyes. He didn’t want to see the disappointment there, or the anger. He didn’t want to see that Zee knew he was bad, he just wanted to be okay.

“Charlie,” Zee said softly. “Look at me, sweetheart.”

Startled by the pet name, Charlie couldn’t help but obey. His eyes filled with tears again as he took in Zee’s concerned expression, and he lost the fight against the sobs threatening to overtake him when Zee opened his arms for him to walk into. Zee embraced him with a firmness that made him feel safe, and a gentleness that made him feel comforted. They stood there, Zee’s arms wrapped around him, until his tears ran out again.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Zee murmured, taking his hand. “Let’s get you some water.”

Zee lead Charlie to the kitchen, only letting go of his hand to get him a glass of water. Charlie drank it all, and was warmed by the simple “good job” he got in response to his empty cup. Zee then took him into his living room, and Charlie began mentally preparing himself to kneel. Before he could get too deep, Zee explained his plan.

“I want you to kneel for me as long as you need to,” he said, looking Charlie in the eyes. “And then I want to feed you something light and hold you for a bit. Does that sound okay?”

It sounded wonderful, and Charlie said as much. Zee just smiled before sitting on his couch and placing a pillow between his feet. Charlie took it as his queue to kneel and did so, falling gracefully to his knees. He let his head rest against Zee’s thigh, and hesitantly wrapped his hand around Zee’s calf.

“You’re doing so good for me, Charlie.” The tension in Charlie’s body released with Zee’s words, and he let himself relax. Zee gently began running his fingers through his hair and down the back of his neck, and with every stroke, Charlie felt his mind going blank. It didn’t take long for him to start floating, his mind detached from his surroundings. He could hear Zee murmuring sweet nothings above him, but he couldn’t comprehend the words, and he didn’t really try to. Some time passed (maybe minutes, maybe hours) and Charlie finally resurfaced. He shifted his shoulders carefully and let go of Zee’s leg, looking up to meet Zee’s tender gaze. 

“I’m glad you’re back with me, sweetheart. You were down for a while.” Charlie’s insides went warm with the pet name and he smiled up at his captain. Zee ran his fingers through Charlie’s hair once before getting up and stretching his legs.

“I’m going to grab a few things. You should stretch out and make yourself comfortable.” Zee’s instructions were simple enough that Charlie could do them with the haze he was moving through. He stretched out his legs, and then his arms and shoulders, before climbing onto the couch and curling up against the arm rest. By the time he was settled, Zee was on his way back from the kitchen with a plate covered with fruit and vegetables. Zee sat down next to him on the couch and then spent the next couple minutes hand-feeding Charlie bites of food. Once the plate was cleared, he gently pulled Charlie into his lap and held him close.

“Honey, I know we’re hockey players and we go through a lot of rough stuff, but you don’t need to hide it when you’re hurting. Please don’t let it get this bad again.” Charlie tucked his face against Zee’s neck and nodded, cheeks flushed with shame. “Oh honey, you’re okay. I just want you to know that you can always come to me if you need someone to take care of you. You’re so good for me, and I love taking care of you.”

The praise was exactly what Charlie needed and he relaxed again, letting Zee hold him close. The warmth of Zee’s body against his was soothing, and he quickly found himself drifting off. Things had gotten rough, but he was strong. He could handle whatever life was going to throw at him, and if it got hard to handle on his own, he could go to his captain to help. He was well taken care of, and for that, he was grateful.


End file.
